8 Workouts You Can Do From The Comfort Of Your Home
We can't front, not being able to go to the gym decreases our motivation. But thanks to the world wide web and smart televisions, we can set up a gym in our humble abodes. Streaming workouts from home has never been more convenient and more necessary than in these transformative times. Even Auntie Extraordinaire, Debbie Allen hosted a dance class on Instagram to promote movements in our homes.
There are also many benefits to working out at home. From convenience to privacy to availability, you can create a physical workout space that is catered to your needs. Not to mention, you won't have to spend extra coins on a gym membership.
We know that finding videos that have moves you want and an instructor you can relate to is major. That's why we rounded up a list of videos featuring some magical black girls. Scroll through our mini-catalog of workout videos that will put Kanye's Workout Plan to shame!
For a slim waist & booty...
Brittne Babe is a famous fitness instructor and model so we always trust her workouts. In this workout, she focuses on building abs through strength and power with these full body moves. She encourages you to grab a mat and get started! Some exercises include Side Twist Plank and Pushup to Twist Kick.
For a full body workout that allows you to tone & keep your curves...
Simply Shana is all about pushing it. The goal of this video is to tone up so you can keep your curves. Using an empty space in her home, she kept great form while also remembering to breathe. Subscribers say that this workout was tough but completely worth it.
For a workout that combines cardio & strength...
For those of us that don't have Megan's knees, this workout is for you. Cece gives us tips and tricks on how to get a good workout in without sacrificing our ailing joints.
For a workout that helps you attack that lower belly pudge...
Looking to snatch your lower abs, give this video a try. I definitely plan on trying this one out because I struggle with a pouch that doesn't wanna leave. Brick Built recommends completing these exercises 3-4 times a week to see results.
For a workout that combines self-love with fitness...
Jessamyn Stanley is a body positive goddess. In her video, she practices self-care while staying active in this eight-minute flow. Yoga is known to help ease the physical discomfort that is caused by anxiety.
For a HIIT cardio workout that gives you abs at home...
Quarantining with bae? Try this 30 minute HIIT cardio and abs workout before you Netflix and chill. SELF Magazine says, "In this routine, you'll keep moving for a full four minutes through cardio moves like pop squats, scissor steps, and jumping jacks—then finish each round with a 60 second plank."
For a hip-hop dance routine that torches calories...
We love a good dance session because it doesn't feel like a workout. Those quarantine snack calories will meet their match with hip-hop Tabata taught by Keaira LaShae. You don't have to be a professional dancer to do this workout. Keaira believes in passion over perfection.
For a full-body workout with no equipment...
In just 15 minutes, Annabelle Hayes takes us through a full body workout. From hip thrusts to alternating toe touches, you will definitely feel the burn after this set of exercises.
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Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
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7 Black Women Bookstagrammers To Follow And The Reads By Black Authors That Empower Us
I've always been a stan for reading, and I've been a so-called book geek since kindergarten. My mom would always reward good grades and behavior with a trip to the local library, something my siblings loved more than any new toys or free time to play outside. We would spend hours at the tall stone building in the downtown area of the small town I spent my childhood in, first in the downstairs "Children's Room" (which only had books for readers 5-13). I later graduated to going (i.e., snuck) upstairs to find all the juicy celebrity autobiographies, travel books, and classics like Sula, Moby Dick, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
So today, when I see so many Black women part of #bookstagram, I feel seen because many of us love not only to read but to drown in books by Black authors, poets, historians, and researchers who continue to add to the narrative and reflection of what it truly means to be a Black person---a Black woman---in America.
Check out (and follow) a few of my favorite Black women bookstagrammers and the books that empower us:
1.Bri @bribrireads
Zora Neale Hurston is clearly an icon, and she's one of my favorite authors, thought leaders, and scholars, so this is an obvious choice for me. What I love, specifically, about this bookstagrammer's page is that it lacks pretension, is super-relatable, and includes a nice mix of nonfiction books, something I'm trying to boost in my collection.
2.Kayla Starr @blackgirlbookadventures
Another classic, Beloved was a book I unsuccessfully tried to read as a 12-year-old, tried again in my 20s (and failed), saw the film, and then fell back in love with again reading in my 30s. Black Girl Book Adventures is a page that just screams brightness, positivity, and a love for books that draws you near.
3.Black Girl With Books @blackgirlwithbooks
This book had a profound effect on me, as it connected the dots between Ghana (a place that has held a special place in my heart since my 2016 visit) and Black America in a way that blew my mind. It also helps that the storytelling and timelines are captivating and thoughtful in a way that any editor who just loves good writing--in an online content environment that seems to reward robotic, vapid, Grammarly-informed, copycat writing---would appreciate.) The founder of this page also offers info on bookstores and other interesting updates for bibliophile baes.
4.Shani Akilah @_shaniakilah
A love of travel and books? Yes, please! Shani's page is refreshing and welcoming, inviting you in on her global adventures along with her journeys through her latest reads. I'm a huge fan of books that feature Black women protagonists in Caribbean or African settings who are able to come into a higher sense of themselves through challenge or hardship. For some reason, I'm always drawn to those books, which is why this one is a top pick for me.
5.Boipelo Lecha @boipelo.reads.books
I'm not big on romance novels (after having grown out of an early obsession with Danielle Steele). At one point, I'd been yearning for a book that offered an elevated sense of the Black love experience (beyond the esteemed OGs like Terry McMillan, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Zane) and stumbled upon Love In Color. It was just what I needed because it's a collection of classic love stories retold through the lens of the author, and the tales centrally feature women.
Biopelo is an up-and-comer in the #bookstagrammer space.
6.Semiyah @wellreadsinger
I've been consumed by Black historical fiction, and this is a good one for the collection. It tells the story of a Black southern family through generations in a way that doesn't feel like a book you were forced to read for a college project. It screams, "Turn me into a six-part Netflix saga," and was a surprise hit for me because I made some very ignorant assumptions about a poet being able to write such a story. (Ah, like Maya Angelou isn't literally a queen in my head.)
Virginia-based Semiyah is literally like my reading tastes twin, down to the mix of types of books she showcases on her page, from romance fiction to new YA titles.
7.Lex @lex_withthe_text
Lex serves up book events and information about new releases to boot, and her page doesn't scream, "Hey, I'm going to just promo books sent to me for free by publishers." On top of that, I support any and everything with the name Tiffany D. Jackson stamped on it. She's a graduate of the other HU (heeeey all my Hampton *cough*, I mean, Howard folk), and the way she puts her special stank on YA will have you wanting to actually relive your own teenage years.
Dare I say, reading her work is like the first time I read Judy Blume, Sister Souljah, and Candy Dawson Boyd---all pioneers in what is now known as young adult fiction. It's authentic, truthful, kind, real, and has a living soul, all elements I yearned for back in the late '80s and '90s as a confused, geeky, Black girl at the library and that I still yearn for as an award-winning editor, editorial manager, and self-employed woman at my big age.
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